PM: Israel Can Take an Example From China's Great Wall

On a tour of the Great Wall of China Thursday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the wall was an apt simile for Israel's situation

By David Lev

First Publish: 5/9/2013, 10:36 AM

Netanyahus in China

Israel news photo: Flash 90

On a tour of the Great Wall of China Thursday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the wall was an apt simile for Israel's situation. China had constructed a wall to defend itself, and Israel must do something similar, he said.

“Just like the Chinese defended themselves by locking themselves behind a great wall, we too will continue to do so in a similar manner on our southern border, on the Golan Heights, and on all the fronts we face,” Netanyahu said at the Great Wall.

Netanyahu's visit to China has been a prosperous one for Israel. On Wednesday, Netanyahu signed a $400 million trade deal with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. "This is a very important agreement for expanding bilateral cooperation. China is a vast market and if we even slightly increase our market share here it will significantly help the Israeli economy," he said.

"Our two peoples are two ancient peoples with a glorious past, a difficult in-between period, and then soaring into the future," Netanyahu told Li. "I think Israel can be the perfect junior partner for China in its pursuit of economic excellence and competitive advantage by offering our technological capabilities.”

Speaking to reporters, Netanyahu confirmed that he had spoken with U.S. President Barack H. Obama Wednesday night, discussing the planned sale by Russia of advanced S-300 surface to air missiles to Syria. “I spoke to Obama, just as I have been speaking in recent days to the leaders of China, and just as I did several days ago with President Putin of Russia. I discussed important regional and international issues with all of them,” he said.